Something Taken
by Navy Tears
Summary: Wally and Artemis get chosen to be part in the saving of the planet earth, and are reborn with no memory of their past love or eachother... or do they? Set while they grow up, and then follows along the episodes with a whole new badguy. Ties in with the new things happening to the actual airings of the show.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer- I do not own Young Justice

Just a note- It gets better than this totally sci-fi cliché beginning. The story will be written more like the countdown and courtyard parts.

**Chapter 1- Separation**

I nervously tapped my foot while holding onto Artemis's hand. A Mighty One Serving requested our presence, or AMOS as the public liked to call them. The sickly smell that all waiting rooms have was nauseating me, and Artemis was comforting me by putting her hand on mine. It was funny on how that one gesture could make me forget everything else in the room other than her.

"Wallace and Artemis?" The secretary called towards us, opening the great oak door that lead to AMOS's office was. I stepped in to see a fancy room with golden walls and hard floors. A brown skinned AMOS was sitting on his chair, staring at something that looked like a 3D hologram universe on the table in front of him. Behind him the nine other MOS's characterized with their different skin colors were on a sort of video chat. Artemis and I respectively kneeled. I didn't know about her, but I was slightly worried.

"You probably are not aware why you are here." The red-skinned AMOS stated.

"It is all revealed now." The orange one chimed in.

"You have been chosen," Yellow elaborated.

"For a great quest," The green one said.

"One to save you," The blue one added.

"And to save another planet." The indigo one replied.

"There will be great risk," the violet one started

"But you have to go quickly." The black one continued

"You have two hours until departure." The white one recited.

They must've practiced that for a long time, I didn't know officials actually used the whole doom-poetry speak. Weird, huh?

"What specifically are you proposing?" Artemis questioned, taking this seriously (something I should be doing too… but hey! You try to sit in front of 10 rainbow colored guys!)

"Not proposing, telling." The brown skinned AMOS started. "We are telling you that you have been selected from us all to save a faraway planet, known to most as 'Earth'. You WILL leave in two hours."

"What happened to our own decision making? Don't we have a say?" I asked, still laughing a bit before Artemis elbowed me.

"This is not a joking matter. There is a disaster threatening the whole universe- and it will originate on earth. Based on the prophecies you two need to be sent to defeat this threat. We cannot let something like free will get in the way of the universes safety. Therefore," he lazily pulled out a gun, "We are not taking chances.

"Mr…" Artemis looked at his name-tent, "Thomas, what exactly is the threat?" she asked, trying to maintain her cool.

"We cannot say- it would mess up history." He responded, twirling the gun around his finger.

I play along with the crazy guy holding the gun. "So," I try to be solemn, "How exactly will we be able to get to this earth?"

"We shall transport you."

"Fair enough. How long do we have to be there? A week? A month? A year?" I asked

"No, you don't understand. You're staying there." He responded.

"What about our families and friends?!" Artemis panics.

"It is a necessary step to separate you from them." He evenly responded. When he snapped his guards came in with our family and friends shackled. "There is only one wise thing to do know- obey us." The AMOS clearly stated.

"At least we still have each other." I weakly whisper to Arty.

"No you won't, you two won't even know the other exists. You are dismissed now." The guardian waved us off.

* * *

I stumbled into the courtyard, trying to support the unmotivated Artemis blankly clinging to my arm. She let go of my arm to go smell a red dahlia in a daze, while I somehow made it to a bench.

I heard a faint sound that sounded like crying, but dismissed it immediately. Why us? Why wouldn't the council pick somebody who excelled in something- like strength or mind power? How would we protect this "Earth" if we had no strength to play off of? We don't even know the enemy! I heard the sound of tears louder now, and focused in on it. Could that be… Artemis? Does she cry? I've seen her get shot in the arm and just grimace! I still walk over to her, just in case.

"Babe?" I wrapped my arms around her tiny waist. I took in her delicious cocoa butter smell and felt my heart beating against her back. Everything felt so natural, so right. "Babe." I said again, starting to get worried.

She spoke; "I'm worried Wally. Were never going to see anyone again, not even each other!"

She turned around, her watery blue eyes melting my heart- It hurt me so much to see her in pain. I caressed her face before pulling her into a tight hug. "We will be okay. Be strong, baby." I murmured.

"I don't want to be strong." Artemis gasped through her tears. "They have our families Wally. Our FAMILIES!"

I silenced her by bringing her mouth to mine; she was surprised, but then settled into the kiss. I pulled her even tighter to me, our bodies fitting together like a puzzle. My love for her was intense, and I broke away from her tender lips before it could escalate. "That didn't hurt, did it?" I questioned. She lightly chuckled, before nervously looked to the side.

"Wally, I'm not strong- I'm horrible and weak. Look at me!" She rasped, gesturing towards her tear streaked face. "I'm worried… about us."

I gently turned her head towards mine with my thumb. "No no no!" I hurriedly responded, "You are the strongest woman I have ever met. In battle you take on foes ten times bigger and win! You are gorgeous inside and out, with an incredibly kind attitude and perfect beauty. I will always love you, and I will find you no matter what. You are being silly if you think this will make me forget us." I lightly kissed her lips again. "We have a big day today. We should enjoy the remaining time." She slowly nodded.

"Let's go get Ice Cream!" I suggested, "It's on me."

* * *

An hour passed with us meeting friends and family at the ice-cream parlor with many teary goodbyes before a black van pulled up for me and Arty. We got in, and were driven to a high tech lab. Normally, I would've been fascinated- however I was busy trying to keep my ice-cream down. They led us to separate rooms to get changed into a white fabric material. We were led to one final door, and I randomly kissed her-hoping it wouldn't be our last. The kiss was passionate and filled with desperation, but scientists pulled us apart and walked us over to separate oval stands. We were across the room and facing each other. There was a timer counting down from a minute over each one of our stands. I realized I had no clue what the hell we were doing. I realized I should've fought back, or at least begged for more time. I realized I should've taken Arty on one last date, even if it was just a stay-at-home movie. This probably wasn't going to do anything anyways- right? It must just be a fraud! Just in case, I locked eyes with Artemis. I could tell she was thinking it was a fraud, too.

"I love you, Artemis Crock!" I shouted over to her, not caring how cliché and sappy it was. Just in case this wasn't false, she needed to know.

"I love you to, Wally West." She shouted back, a smirk gracing her beautiful face. I saw the clock, counting down from 10 seconds in my peripheral vision.

_10- This isn't real. There's nothing to worry about- there's no way it could happen!_

_9- But what if it is? I'll miss my friends and family, but I won't be able to truly live without Artemis_

_8- It sounds stupid, thinking about a girl more than my family. But Artemis isn't just any girl._

_7- The first time we met was at a debate. We argued so much everybody left. We impressed each other so much that I gave her my phone number._

_6- Our first date. I took her to an old track stadium after she told me she wanted to learn how to run. It's my best sport, so I volunteered to help. We went to dinner and a movie after. It became our Friday ritual._

_5- Our first kiss. She was so tired after running one day that she ran into me. We tumbled down and finally rolled to a stop, her tangled on top of me. We tenderly kissed, growing more passionate before embarrassedly stopping._

_4- Her beauty_

_3- Her amazing laugh_

_2- I would miss her so much_

_1- My spitfire_

My eyes were still locked onto hers as the timer hit zero, and the incredible occurred. I saw her fading, her eyes widening in shock. I felt my own body slowly disappearing too… I felt so tired. I finally understood- we were going to be reborn as earth kids with no memories of…

* * *

_**A/N- Wally blanked out, hence the missing word BTW. Now onto my longest authors note ever.**_

_**I was so pissed of today. Seriously. Just sitting there waiting for the newest premier- when low and behold Dragon Riders of something or another stays on. WTF CARTOON NETWORK?! I have promptly locked myself in my room to be sad all day by the news that the show has once again been put on hold. Until next year. I am ready to b-slap somebody.**_

_**I wasn't going to post this until I got farther in my other story, ah well. I've changed up the plot to accommodate my new rage that needs to be unleashed. This first chapter explains their predicament; they'll get better after this (the chapters). I can guarantee a chapter a week usually posted on Fridays or Saturdays if my computer doesn't act up. Sometimes more, depending on what life does. I'm gonna go cuddle in my bed and watch the rain if you guys need me…**_

_**Navy**_


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer- I do not own Young Justice

**Chapter 2- Kindergarten**

**3****rd**** Person POV**

"Wake up Honey!" Mrs. West lovingly shouted, creaking open his door. "It's that day- your very first day of Kindergarten!"

Wally shot out of bed from first-day excitement and grabbed a bunch of random clothes.

"Wally dear, I think only one pair of underwear and something called pants will work better than trying to put on two pairs of underwear." Mrs. West jokingly exclaimed before heading to the kitchen to make him pancakes.

"Thanks Mom!" He shouted, peaking his stunning green eyes around the door. He got dressed in a minute flat, and ate the pancakes in five.

"Are you ready for this little squirt?" Mrs. West asked, ruffling his hair. "I could always homeschool you!" Her eyes crinkled as she smiled.

"Mom, I love you and all, but I need a break!" He seriously responded, making her laugh.

"Okay, big boy. Let's getcha to the bus stop." She helped him put on his Flash backpack before walking out the door with him.

"Oh Wally- you're growing up so fast. There was one time when you were a little boy that you decided to carry your bunny around for the whole week. You would go up to people to introduce Mr. Bunny, and you almost glued him to your hand before I caught you!" She chuckled.

"MOM! I Knooowwww! You've told me… like…. A bazillion times!" he crossly responded. "That was a really long time ago! I'm a big boy now!"

"I know sweetie… I know." She sadly responded.

They reached the corner and were met with the sight of a gaggle of children and parents. Cameras were flashing everywhere, little girl's hair were being fixed, and boys were poking each other. Wally stayed right where he was, holding his moms hand. The bus quickly came.

**Wally POV**

I let go of my mom's hand, and bravely stepped onto the bus- the stairs seemed tall in comparison to my height. I was the first one on- and saw the rows of seats. Where to sit? I walked all the way down to the back of the bus, and took the last seat. It caught my eye because it was shorter than the rest of the seats. I noticed the girls tending to sit in the front of the bus, but the guys normally came to the back of the bus by me. I looked out of the window to see my mom. She was lightly crying, but looked so brave next to the parents who were full out bawling. I was so proud to be her son.

The bus pulled away, and I rode in silence until the fifth stop when a boy with super pretty blue eyes and black hair got on. The bus was pretty full, so he asked to sit with me. After I said yes and he sat down I noticed his back pack- it had Batman on it.

"Batmans pretty cool, but I like the Flash better." I said to him.

"Dude- Are you kidding? Batmans- like- the coolest person… ever!" I noticed his English seemed rough, like it wasn't his first language, but I ignored it. I thought it was pretty cool.

"Batman can't run faster than the speed of sound!" I countered.

"I bet he has something in his utility belt that could make him! Batman can do anything! Batman has his own private jet, his own super cool car, and a hidden layer! He swings from Gotham's skies with grappling hooks! He's just a human, striving for…" He raised his voice and clenched his fist "JUSTICE! He can take on any villain effortlessly!"

"One villain? Try a hundred!" I might have been exaggerating, but I'm pretty sure the other boy was too. "The Flash can vibrate his molecules through SOLID OBJECT! He goes through walls! Batman's cool, but I'm sticking with the Flash"

The other boy looked pretty impressed before putting a poker face back on. "How about this- you can be the Flash's sidekick as long as I get to be Batman's sidekick." I considered it, but it seemed like a pretty good deal.

"Sure!" I said. I liked this boy- not only did he share my love of superheroes, but he also didn't have to ask me what a molecule was. "My name is Wally West." I said, putting my hand out. "Nice to meet you."

"My name is Richard Greyson." He said, "but you can call me Dick. Friends?" He asked.

"Friends." I replied. I smiled- Kindergarden wasn't going to be as hard as I thought it would be. "Who's your teacher?" I asked, praying he would say 'Mrs. Connie.'

"Mrs. Cone… Con… Connie." He replied, satisfied with how he pronounced it.

I almost squealed before I corrected myself. Squealing wasn't manly. "Me too." I said in a gruff voice, making him laugh. The bus stopped, and we sticked together trying to navigate the halls. We finally made it, and the day went by in a blur of introducing ourselves and coloring. I corrected my earlier statement, kindergarten was going to be a breeze.

After school Dick and I managed to grab the same seat on the bus. "Hey Wally," he asked. "Would you want to meet each other at the Kids gym in about an hour, so around 1:00?"

I considered my scheduled. "I think I can make it… what time would it end?"

"Well, I have a show at 6:00, and I need to be there at least two hours ahead, so before 4:00?"

"I think so!" I said, pleased with the idea of already setting up a play date on the first day of school. "What's the show for?"

"I'm an acrobat!" Dick responded, puffing out his chest. "I work at the circus!"

My eyes grew round. That was so cool! He already had a job! "Could you teach me how to do something like that?" I asked.

"Sure! Just show up to the gym tonight and I'll show you a few tricks! I have to go, Bye Wally!" With that Dicks stop had come, and left the bus.

I waved at him through the window, and saw his mom swing him really cool-ly onto her shoulders as the bus pulled away. Man, I wish I was in the circus! I loved kindergarten, without it I could've never met Dick! Dick was so cool, he seemed so grown up. I was feeling pleased with myself for being his friend when my stop came, and I practically ran out to my mom.

"Hey squirt!" She greeted me. We held hands and started walking home.

"Mom! Mom! I made a friend!" I excitedly shouted. "His name is Richard Greyson, but he goes by Dick. He's an acrobat! And, he rides my bus and is in my homeroom! He said I could meet him at the kid's gym at 1:00 and he would show me a couple tricks!"

"I'm glad you made a friend, and we'll have to ask Dad about the gym, but I think you can go. I really am proud of you, son." I beamed at her praise, and we spent the rest of the walk trying to swing me ontop of her shoulders like Dicks mom did to him. I'm pretty sure we had the gist of it by the time we got home.

We quietly walked into the house, and I saw Dad on the couch drinking beer and watching TV. I hoped he wasn't drunk.

"Rudy, Honey, we're home." She quietly said.

"It's about time!" He spat, setting his beer down. "You take forever."

"Honey, Wally made a friend today… he got invited to a play date! Isn't that nice?"

"GODDAMIT I DON'T CARE ABOUT FRIENDS!" He shouted, getting up. "Friends do NOT get us out of this house! GRADES do! MONEY does!"

"Rudy, he doesn't have any homework. Let him go, please."

He walked over and punched her. I winced. "Woman, I do not need any talking back from you. You need to keep your trap shut." He walked over to me, obviously drunk. He raked his nails across my face. "Look at this ugly little child. Look at him. HE AINT GOT NO FRIENDS." My mom started to silently cry, murmuring something that sounded like 'Please don't touch him.' Dad ignored her.

He knelt down to me and pinched my cheeks. His breath smelled terrible, but I ignored it. "But if you do have a friend, there's a really good chance they'll be smarter than you. And smarter means more money… and more money means a good house." He smiled, "You kiss up to this little boy, you hear me? You go tonight and make yourself a friend." I nodded, and ran to Mom as soon as he left me to go back to the couch. "Mary- go make yourself useful and drive him."

"Let's go get in the car." Mom ushered me to the garage. Once we were on the road Mom tried to ask me about the cuts on my face, and after reassuring her I was fine I got out some Neosporin from the dashboard to put on them. We arrived quickly, and I practically ran out of the car. This was exciting stuff. I saw Dick and his mom pretty quickly. We went over, and the moms started talking about something or another.

"Wally, Dude! What happened to your face?" Dick said

"Uh… a cat scratched it?" I covered up, remembering my dad's rule to not tell anyone what goes on at home.

"Wow… that a nasty scratch! So…. what do you want to learn how to do?" Dick questioned.

"I don't know- something cool?" I responded.

"Excuse me, Mom?" Dick said, tugging on his moms sleeve.

"Yes little bird?" She answered

"Wally and I are going over to the floor, and then maybe the trampoline. Meet up with you soon?" After seeing her nod he ran off, dragging me with him.

"Okay. First I'm going to teach you how to jump." He seriously said. "You get the power for your jump from your knees. Make sure you really bend them!" He demonstrated the difference between his jumping with bent and straight knees. "Your landing is super important, too. You can hurt your tendons if you don't completely set down your foot when you land, in comparison to just landing on the balls of your feet all the time. Also, hold your abs." He showed me what the difference was between using your abs and just normal was. "If you don't use your abs you will fall!" He warned me. "Speaking of abs, get down and do 25 sit-ups!"

After working on my nonexistent abs he made me stretch and try doing the splits, stuff I thought girls only did. Next we did more sit-ups, and more types of push-ups than I thought even existed. I did a plank, and we were even doing some weight lifting before the moms came over and told us it was time to leave. I was aching all over- this must be what the Flash feels like! I was giddy from the excitement. "Do that every day and maybe we can start working on different types of jumps next week!" Dick shouted at me while leaving. I smiled after he left.

"Did you have fun?" My mom asked.

"Yes! I'm gonna be just like the Flash! I'm gonna have some serious muscle!" I started reenacting everything from the play date in the car while she laughed. "Let's do that again next week!" I said, right as we got home.

"Okay Squirt. I'll see what I can do."

We ate dinner until 6:00, and the rest of the night I kept on trying to do the workout Dick showed me, along with running.

I got in bed at around 8:00. Today was amazing, I thought as I fell asleep

_**A/N- Now to go through their lives! I know Dick and Wally probably didn't go to the same school, but their friendship is just to awesome to not include in the fanfic. Sorry :) **_

_**Thanks for all the encouragement, reviews, follows, and favourites- you guys are amazing :) Now onto working on those projects I had procrastinated... Untill next week!**_

_**Navy**_


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer- I do not own Young Justice

**Chapter 3- Isn't exactly what I wished for….**

**Arty POV**

I crossed my fingers as I peered down from the rafters. I had followed Daddy and Jade to this warehouse- it's not fair that Dad let Jade train and not me! I fingered the dagger I had grabbed before leaving the house to secretly follow them, my thighs burning from crouch I was in.

"Have you learned yet Cheshire?" My dad's voice echoed from below, mocking Jade as they predatorily circled each other. I loved watching them- they always wore their masked when they sparred and looked so professional.

"Not… yet…" She huffed, trying to jab him twice with her blade.

"Oh," He swiftly flipped over her, and quickly ran over to tackled her. He grabbed one of her arms and twisted it behind her head, not minding her wince. "But how are you ever going to get better?" A pause seemed to draw out forever.

Don't look smug yet," she painfully responded, before rolling onto her back and using her legs to push him off. She punched him in the face, but immediately looked worried when he didn't respond. "Father?" she asked, letting her guard down.

Dad grabbed a kris blade from his belt, and threw it straight in Jades shoulder, pinning her against a wall. I scrambled around the rafters, trying to position myself over Jade. "YOU NEED TO LEARN!" He bellowed. "HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN EVERYTHING? DO FULL OUT FIGHTING, EVERYTIME! I DON'T CARE WHO YOU'RE UP AGAINST! AND PREDICT YOUR OPONENTS NEXT MOVE!" He walked over to her, and pulled the blade down a little. Tears streamed down Jades face. "What, does that hurt you… baby? Well I don't give a damn." He growled. "You could die right here. I have another protégée. I couldn't care less. Go on- DIE! Your momma's in jail- what's she gonna do? Nothing! NO. BODY. CARES! We have a family mantle to uphold!"

I finally had positioned myself over Dad, and dropped down- my momentum of dropping a floor down knocking his breath out. "I care!" I tried to menacingly say, but ended up squeaking. I scrambled over to Jade and pulled out the blade, hearing her wince. _Don't look at the blood. Don't look at the blood. _I thought to myself as I handed her the blade. I saw she had already pulled off her blood-soaked shirt (thankfully, she had on a sports bra) and torn off the dry pieces for a makeshift cast. I saw her face getting paler and paler from the blood loss, and I helped her start to limp towards the door.

"YOU LITtle…" He started, before seeing Jade. Some sort of realization came to his eyes at seeing Jade, and he dropped off in shock. I think he didn't know he had hurt her so badly. He had been getting worse and worse after Mom got caught.

We had almost made it out before the door burst open. A shady looking man walked through with two body guards. _Of course more trouble_, I dryly thought_- this is a popular warehouse_.

"Boss," One guard started, with the traditional goony jersey accent. "I thought you said nobody was gonna be around here."

"Well, that was what I had thought." The man amusedly remarked. _Please, let us through. Jade is losing blood- fast! _I thought. "It doesn't matter. Just kill them." He added after a brief second of contemplation.

I tensed up and looked back, hoping to see my dad running up to take charge, but he was slunk into a corner- staring at his hands. What to do? I dropped Jade as carefully as I could, sneakily grabbing the closest weapons I could find on her- two tranquilizers. It would be better if there were three, but I'm grateful for this. I would just have to find a major vein, inject them, and then after some winging I could take Jade home. I felt my adrenaline starting to buzz, and remembered hearing some of Dads advice to Jade (that I was eavesdropping on) - adrenaline can save you, if you can control it.

I take a small step up to show the men I wanted to try to take them on, and used their surprise to my advantage. I charged at goon #1, and ducked under his swooping punch. His punch left on open opportunity to his neck, and I jabbed the needle in. I finished him by putting all of my 40 lbs. of force into kicking his groin- knocking him to the floor until he flashed out of consciousness. In my split second of self-congratulation goon #2 rammed me from behind and pinned me against a wall. I reached behind me and blindly stabbed him with the needle, hoping I could buy myself enough time until he dropped. He wrapped his fingers around my neck, but I knew what he was doing. I sucked in a deep breath of air before I felt his fingers starting to constrict around my neck. I counted each second with Mississippi at the end- like Jade taught me to. Ten seconds in I stopped thrashing. Twenty seconds and I started seeing black spots, and blue spots at thirty seconds. Forty seconds and I saw a flash of green that pushed me to hold on- little did I know this color would haunt me for the next ten years. But the green was right- at forty five seconds I felt his fingers loose hold until I could breathe after fifty five seconds, and he completely let go of me at sixty. I dropped down, heavily breathing. Then, I kicked unconscious goon #2 for almost killing me. That wasn't nice to do to a five year old. I saw the leader running away- but I didn't care. I had just beat two bad guys!

After approximately ten second I had enough strength to run back over to Jade and help her up. "No, baby, no…" She muttered, limping back to the road with me.

"But Jade, didn't you see me fight them? I was amazing!" I asked, while contemplating the fastest way to get her home. I realize the fastest way is to try to get the police, and decide to go with it despite the rule that police were always trouble. Jade was dying- I was going to make an exception.

"You were, that's not the issue" she said, starting to black out. I managed to pull over a small car. "Now he's going to make you train…" She whispered, before losing conscious.

"Oh my lord!" The driver shouted. "What can I do?" In the midst of their questions (She looks like she's only eight! What happened? Where's your parents?) I managed to get their phone and dial 911. I was in a daze to the outside world, only counting seconds. 180 seconds later the police were there. 120 seconds in and the cops realized I wasn't going to answer any questions. 30 seconds later I numbly told them not to take of her mask, something bad would happen. 60 seconds later we were at the hospital, and 30 seconds later she was rushed into a room. 120 seconds later and I finally realized I was in pain too, but that didn't matter. The weird smelling people still rushed me to a room, and poked me. They asked questions, but I refused to straightforward answer any question-, just warning them not to take off the Cheshire mask. And there I lay, counting the seconds.

_**A/N- I was a day (or two, depending on what day your week starts on…) late, but don't worry. There will still be another chapter for this week. If everything seems rushed blame (1) My lack of time, and (2) that I was trying to accommodate a little ones thought process. I feel like she would only remember the really important stuff, like the vital fighting moves + the other crime boss, not little stuff. Hated it? Loved it? If you have time, it would be appreciated if you review. Thanks for reading!**_

_**Navy**_

_**-Also, the green is Wally's eye color, BTW :)**_


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer- I do not own Young Justice

**Chapter 4- Non-Believer**

**Arty's POV**

I waited a full hour (around 3600 of my seconds) until something interesting happened. At that time I heard the hospital alarm go off and saw gas seeping through underneath my door. I noted it strange, because it smelled like some knockout gas- but it was the same smell of the gas that Dad had brutally trained Jade and me to be immune to. Thirty seconds later I stopped counting. At that time the door to my hospital room blew down, and I saw an outline in the drowsy mist. Upon closer inspection, I saw it to be Daddy carrying Jade bridal-style in his arms. "Let's go baby girl!" He growled; urgency in his stressed voice.

I nodded, jumping as cat-like as I could off of my bed. I winced in pain; I think I might have gotten a sprained ankle from when I was fighting the goonies- I smile at my success despite the fire burning in my ankle. I remember my dad's rule that pain is useless and should be ignored, and keep moving. Dad and I run through the foggy corridors- him not caring where the passed out people where and me trying to leap over every unconscious person. He shattered the window at the end of the hall, and paused for a millisecond in thought. He dropped Jade, and grabbed a heavy string grappling gun- along with three hooks and some rope from a duffle bag he had been carrying. I saw him start to tie a rope onto a hook with a knot on the end, and grabbed one to do for myself. He wrapped a rope harness- style around Jade, and then tied her onto the remaining hook.

He motioned me over to the broken window, and quickly pulled on the rope (one hand on the hook, the other at the rope knot at the end) to make sure it was secure. Next he shot the grapping gun out, almost directly to the right of the hospital, and tied the gun in some complicated way to the closest column in the hospital. He put my hook on the grappling line. I knew that we're going to zip line down, so I ran over and jumped onto the rope. The first few seconds when I was zip lining, I regretted my jump onto the line. I had to fumble around to find the spot where I felt most secure, and even then I was centimeters away from falling. I clung to the rope tightly, and wondered where we were going to end up; dad didn't shoot the line in the direction of the apartment. But- I was just following one of my dad's rules- Don't question me, just do. I heard another person on the zip line. I cautiously looked to see Jade sliding down- hanging limp on the line, head and limbs seemingly lifeless and drooping down the street below us. I clutched my rope closer, remembering. Mom will be home later today. She had only been a scapegoat of something little dad had done this time- they had just wanted her in custody for two days. Just make it to later today. I felt my grubby shirt and pants whipping across my wiry frame, and noticed how cold I was starting to get.

I briefly wondered why Dad hadn't gotten on the zip line yet, before remembering one of dads very brief conversations on zip lining. Something about heavier weights will move faster, so they either have to go first or give large head starts- unless you want things hitting each other. I heard gunshots, and pinpointed them coming from the hospital. I hoped dad was okay, before seeing him swing out of the hospital- cackling like a madman- and throwing another gas bomb in the window to cut off pursuit. I could tell he was the one who had done the shooting from the demonic smile on his face. It was in moments like this that he scared me the most. I saw Jade, and roughly calculated that he might run into her, and she was in no shape to have a hundred-some pound man running into her wearing metal armor. I braced myself before tentatively grabbing the line in attempt to slow myself down, trying to clamp on as much as I could. I felt the skin peeling off, but I needed to stop! My hands started to leave blood… my blood… on the line, and my aching arms finally held me still on the line, trembling violently from the pressure.

Jade came barreling at me, and her side hit me in my stomach. I regained my breath quickly, and I hugged her close to me, trying to put her as up-right as possible. Our combined weight made us fast. We slid in an eerie silence for a couple more moments, before sliding into a window, shattering it. My hook came undone, and I slid in a crouch for a second on the floor before stopping. I ran over to Jade, fumbling to undo her before dad came. My bloody hands fumbled around in nervousness for a couple seconds before undoing her, grabbing her body and rolling the both of us to the floor as dad entered, yelling in ecstasy. For the most part I had avoided him, save a kick in my back. I lay on the floor in shock and vaguely recognized my dad picking my sister up bridal-style again, and lightly kicked me in the side.

"Get up." He harshly said, and I followed him out the door. I barely had started observing (We were on the second floor of an old looking house, not much color, exiting the third room on the left) when I heard a whiny voice.

"See Teekl? I told you our visitors would come down to say hello." I heard something that seemed like a meow and purring, like a response to the child.

"I suppose your right, blowing them up would've been easier than talking. We still can blow them up though! You don't have to get snappy…" The boy muttered, and once again the cat meowed. I didn't know how, but it seemed like they were talking.

"Yes, it does seem as though there is one non-believer here." The cat snappily meowed back to him.

"Two?! Oh yes, I sense the second non-believer. Very faint though…" he paused in thought. "Well what are you three doing? Are you going to come down or just creep up there?" he yelled- addressing us.

"Don't say anything unless you're asked something. Be VERY careful, and follow my lead" Dad hissed to me, before walking down the stairs. I cautiously followed, and saw a child with an orange cat in the living room. The boy looked around the age of 10, his hair gelled into two horns. He had pointy sideburns on the side of his head, his hair color was black. He had cold, dark eyes- this boy creeped me out.

"Hello Sportsmaster." He said, stroking Teekl. "I see you've paid me a visit. That was rather rude to break my window though." He dramatically sighed.

"Klarion. She's dying." Dad said, motioning towards Jade. "Can you fix her?" He asked, desperation in his voice.

"What do I get out of this deal?" Klarion whined.

"I'll… join the Light." Dad offered.

"Well, that's a rather lame offer. You probably would've anyways." Klarion mused. Teekl meowed. "Yes, it would look good if I told L1 that I convinced Sportmaster- the wandering criminal- to join the light. And I do so love the naughtiness in children." He walked towards me, and grabbed my chin. I was terrified, but stared straight into his calculating eyes. "Funny, this child seems to have more defiance that naughtiness." He walked over to Jade, and put his hands on her head. "Oooh! But this one seems to have high amounts of chaos in her!" He looked at his cat. "What do you think Teekl?" The cat meowed a couple times, and Klarion nodded. "Sportsmaster I'll heal your child you brought in."

"Thank you." Dad said, doing a mini- bow.

"But ONLY because I like children. The deal is this- I'll heal this child if you join the Light." He paused, "And one of these children, I'm guessing their your daughters, has to join the light. I love their chaos levels." He smiled at the proposition.

"Deal, but only if you'll also heal her wounds." Father said pointing at me.

"Picky, picky." Klarion mused, while putting his hands on either side of Jade's face. He muttered some fancy words, and a light seemed to encase Jade. A minute later it stopped, and a groggy looking Jade sat up, wounds closed up.

"Father? … Arty?" Jade murmured, confused.

"Yes yes…. Father! Arty!" Klarion imitated in a high voice. "Now you come here." He pointed at me. I came over, and he put his hands on my head. I felt tired, and closed my eyes. I felt my skin growing- closing together- and it felt… good? I wearily stood up, and leaned against a wall.

"We're going to run away for a week or two- until the mess at the hospital cleans up." Dad stated.

"Whatever. Try Blue Valley, Nebraska. That's far away, and the only hero is new. Just be back in exactly a month, at 10:00 pm. You can meet me here, and be ready for your first light meeting." Klarion said, before using an invisible force to push them out the door. "Goodbye!" He sarcastically called, and slammed the door behind us.

Dad pushed us along, and we ran towards our apartment. We had to duck into an alley three times for police, but we were never caught. I have no clue how long I ran, but I had a buzz from the magic that Klarion fixed me with- it didn't matter.

When we got home I saw mom sitting on the couch- her lips pursed. Jade and I ran towards her, sobbing in her chest from excitement and shock. She must've gotten home earlier today from jail.

Dad spoke from the corner of the small room. ""We need to run.""

""I know."" Mom said. ""We have a TV, I saw it from the news. You're lucky I'm back."" She sighed, motioning towards four neatly packed backpacks on the floor. ""You know I don't approve of this. We ARE going to talk about this later."" Mom glared daggers at Dad. Dad opened his mouth, but Mom interrupted him. ""Yes, I have already hidden and destroyed all the evidence in the apartment. The backpacks have clothes, provisions, money, and weapons. And I'm guessing you all haven't eaten lunch yet, so there are three sandwiches on the kitchen counter."" She grabbed her backpack and headed into the kitchen, and we all did the same.

""PB & J for you."" Mom said, smiling as she gave me the sandwich. ""Roast Beef and Cheese for you."" She told Jade, also in a friendly manner. ""And a BLT for you."" She monotony spoke to dad. We walked out of the house and walked towards the subway- we were off for Blue Valley, Nebraska. So much had happened today. I had defied father, beaten two bad guys, saved Jades life, been in the hospital, escaped, zip lined, met some strange guy with his cat (Which I later found out was the Lord of Chaos), been magic'ed on, possible been bound to be in the Light (Whatever that is), and Mom came back. And now were running away. It all hurts my brain to think of, and I never would've imagined this when I woke up this morning.

_**A/N- I bet you thought it would be Wally's POV ;)**_

_**I'm doing my research, so hopefully facts won't be too off. When dialogue is surrounded by ""…"" it means it's translated from Viennese. Save 'ya the trip to google translate :). I'm experimenting with Arty's narrating, I think I like this way better (vs. bare minimum of facts). Are you leaning one way or another? Oh, and Blue Valley is important. I'm excited :P **_

_**Have a great week-**_

_**Navy**_


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer- I do not own Young Justice

**Ch 5- Not According**

**Yet-To-Be-Revealed Location. Paul's POV**

Today has been a good day. There had been a big dilemma in the upper parts trying to find a controller, but apparently they just picked a guy. I think his name was George Wessel… no, that's not right. I'll figure it out later. Right now I'm going to investigate why the office has suddenly gotten into a buzz. I peer over my cubicle to ask my neighboor, but before I can my watch buzzes. I bolt out of my seat to run to The Office, when I get there I see a few others- which I later find out are named Thomas, Peter, and Nicole. I see Malcolm and salute him. He is one of the highest you can go!

"What is going on?" I respectfully question.

"Something isn't going according to plan. Those Two- they're getting too close." He stiffly responds

Realization dawned on me. I had read about a situation like this. Those two… magnetic…. Shattering… I gasped. "They mustn't!" I practically shouted.

"I know." Said the man with the G name, stepping out of the shadows. "We need to try to fix it. Her family is thinking of a more permanent residence that we can't allow."

"And especially at their young age- before it stabilizes!" Nicole grimly said

I understood. It needed to be solved, or else the planet could be destroyed. I ran to the orb, along with my colleagues.

**Arty POV**

We had gotten off the subway a little while ago. It's early morning, and I'm still tired. Thankfully, mom is carrying me. I hear fragments of words dancing past my ears, hard to hold onto. At first mom was yelling to dad about something called Kindergarten, apparently yesterday was my first day. I wonder what that is. There was also something about Rudolph West. I think there saying he was the old "hero"- but he isn't anymore. I don't catch why. Apparently there's a newer hero too, called Flash. I think they said he can run fast. That's pretty cool I guess. I think Mom said that she was gonna watch over Jade and I in the park while dad found sleeping arrangements. Sleep sounds good- I'm feeling so tired… that is the last thing I think of before the world goes peacefully dark.

**Wally POV**

I tapped my pen in annoyance. Today my teacher had given Dick and me an extra math sheet to try to challenge us. It was addition. Addition I tell you! That is SOO boring. I finished the last problem- 33+45- in ease. Of course it was 78. Idiots. Something else had been bugging me all day though. It was like my body had somewhere it needed to go, but wouldn't process it to words. I'm normally a good boy, but this was intense. It was like a magnet! I tiptoed down the hall, and left a "Be back soon- do not worry." note on the kitchen table. I ran out the door, and let my legs carry me to wherever I was going. I ran past the houses, and out of the neighborhood. I ran a few more blocks, turning right- then left- then left. I eventually made it to the park, and stopped to catch my breath. The "magnetism" was gone, but what was I doing here? I looked around the trees, but couldn't see anything. I looked harder, and made out something yellow that looked like… hair? A feeling of de-ja-vu swept over me, and I walked over to find out who it was. I saw their, no, her- beautiful steel blue eyes peek around the tree. She gasped, and started running away.

I don't know why, but I immediately ran after her. There was something… important? I ran as hard as I could, focusing my eyes on her medium-length-blonde hair swishing on her back. I noticed her running style too; it was a lot like mine… almost as if we learned from the same person! Not many people knew how to run correctly. I ran harder, and brain started to hurt. It was like the front door to my brain was barricaded against a persistent knock, or more like a huge consistent shoving. I knew I couldn't keep up my running when I tried to think about my metaphorical door and visitor, so I shoved it to the recesses of my mind. My sole thought would be running. I felt myself slowly ganging on her- she was good, but not as good as the Flashes biggest fan. I tried to grab her as she spun around with a clenched fist, and when trying to avoid her rushed punch I ended up grabbing her waist.

"Wait!" I yelled, making her stop mid punch. She curiously looked at me.

"Why are you chasing me?" She quietly said, staring at my eyes. I suddenly felt very self-conscious.

"I… I… you looked familiar…" I tried, feeling stupid. However, I think she understood.

"Are you going to let go of me?" She asked, motioning towards the small space in-between us and my hands on her waist.

My face turned beet red, and I nodded. I didn't want to let go of her. Well, I did out of my embarrassment- but my body didn't seem to want to. It was urging me to… kiss her? I let go anyways, and watched her sit down. She looked at me expectantly, and after a moment I got that she wanted me to sit down too. I sat across from her, trying to think of something to say.

"Were you going to explain why you chased me?" She asked- not rudely but more as a conversation starter.

"Well, I don't know why, but you seem…" I searched for words frantically, "familiar. I saw your hair- and I just knew that I had to run after you." I said, realizing how foolish I sounded. She thoughtfully nodded, and I swear I heard her mutter something about "eyes" under her breath. I wasn't sure what to say for a few seconds before deciding I should introduce myself. "My names Wally." I stated, sticking out my hand.

She shook my hand. "Nice meeting you, Wally." She replied. She seemed so professional! "Why are you here?" She asked.

"I live around here. But the better question- what are you doing here? I've never seen you before!" I exclaim.

"Visiting." She tersely replied, making me… sad? Was it because I would never see her again? There was another awkward pause.

"It was… nice meeting you. I'm sorry for chasing you. It wasn't very nice of me, and I understand I seem creepy now. I'm normally not like that…" I said, rambling. I stood up, and she did the same.

"Thanks for clarifying, seeing as though we'll never see each other again." Her voice was light and joking, but I sensed something else. Remorse?

"Yeah... no problem…" I trailed off. I noticed we had both gotten closer.

"Bye Wally." She drew out. It was like we both wanted to keep on talking, but we didn't know how. I don't know why, but my body stepped forward, drawing us closer. I instinctively kissed her, very quickly and lightly. I was surprised for a second. Her lips were somewhat chapped, but tender. And, I felt something, I don't even know what. It was undefinable- unable to be captured by words. I looked at her shell-shocked face, and inwardly cringed. I am such a creep.

Her next move surprised the both of us. She kissed me again, longer. It was... amazing. I felt like the happiest person in the world, but my brain felt like someone was running it over with a train. Several times. We both held onto the kiss as long as we could, but gave out. I think she had the same thing in her mind. I still stayed by her though, it was like my body demanded me not to leave.

"I really have to go." She said, smiling.

"Okay." I said, being proud for uttering a comprehensible word.

"Goodbye." She whispered, starting to run off.

I watched her for a few seconds, but there was something urgent. "Wait!" I called, running towards her. "You never told me your name!"

She paused in thought. "You don't need to know. We'll never see eachother again." She started running again.

"But you know mine!" I whined, but she kept on running "That is NOT fair!" I yelled after her, but stopped pursuit after listening to reason. She had a huge head-start on me, but more importantly I needed to get back home, and soon! Dad was not going to be happy.

**A/N- Tumblr, I love ya but your so distracting :/ (You too FMA!) So now you have more important info! And yes, that is SUPER important. And they kissed!The weaving has begun! I've been doing a lot of research, so my hope is this story won't be too off. Also, I'm just clarifying that I go by a work week- I consider ****aquamonday, er, i mean**** Monday as the start of the new week- sorry about that. Have a fantastic week (AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY WONDERFUL CRUSH WALLY WEST!)**

**Navytears**

**- Sorry, that was all ready yesterday- but our house had a power outage :(**


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer- I do not own Young Justice.

WARNING! LAWRENCES POV GETS GRUESOME! DO NOT READ THAT PART IF YOU ARE SENSITIVE TO GORE!

Ch 6- Love

Paula Crocks POV

Goddamnit, where is he? We've been waiting in the park for hours for Lawrence, but he's still a no-show. There's a flicker of worry in my mind for him, but he'll be okay. He's just checking for a hotel- nothing illegal. There would be no reason to arrest him unless he was being stupid. But, no. Lawrence might break the law, but he knows when to be serious. Besides, I can't put all the blame on him for bringing our family to this.

His father had a couple petty relations in the criminal world. He's been exposed to gore since a kid, seeing less-careful crooks and being beaten by his father. I don't know what his father did to him, but whatever it was it must've been bad. Lawrence still won't talk about it to the day. His father had a low status, just a thug. Unfortunately, this made him the perfect pawn- easily dispatched. His father was killed in a mission of some sort. Their family couldn't do anything- if they tried to sue then they would have to admit that his dad had been doing illegal things to the authorities and tarnish the family name. Crook to the rule followers, snitch to all others. Snitch was the worse name, openly making themselves targets for their disloyalty. Because of that they kept quiet, and his mother took up as many jobs as she could get her hands on to support the kids.

Lawrence also started working (being the only male of the family), age eight at the time, picking up a job in a factory as a shipping loader. The manager had taken pity on him for his dad. At first he was laughed at for his size- but his work ethic was greater than anyone else's. He quickly gained muscle and height from growth spurts. At age nine he was still shorter than many of the men, but he could lift just as much as anyone else- he could even lift more than a few. He proceeded to escalate in physical stamina, but tragedy struck at age 10. One of his sisters fell ill with an illness that no doctor had heard of before. They could only prescribe a mediocre pain medication that would work for a week at best. The medicine was more expensive than the family could afford, and after three months they would be broke. The family was advised to swiftly kill his sister, to save her own pain and the family from debt.

Lawrence's mother couldn't handle the idea of another dead family member. Her sanity broke down and she was forced to stay at the house and quit her jobs. Amelia, Lawrence's ill sister, needed to get better in order for the family to stay apart. To provide money Lawrence's other two sisters started to do anything they could think of. They knitted clothes. They picked wild berries. They baked foods. They made bouquets from wild flowers. They even went door to door asking for old clothes in any shape and would mend them, or pick them apart for thread and re-sew. Lawrence basically lived at the factory for how long he would stay to earn money. But it still wasn't enough- they still had limited time.

Lawrence was bitter at the richer people of his town. Very few would acknowledge the despairing family anymore. He watched the richer people and the people with families. He resented their laughter and money. He resented how easy it was for them. Eventually, his moral slipped. When he was in a watch store he slipped the most expensive gold watch into his pants pocket and left the store. Afterwards he marveled at the easiness of the procedure. He thought there would be something more to it- he just had stolen something very expensive! When he went back to the house in the early morning hours he decided to keep it in his pocket and hide it from his sisters. They didn't need to be burdened with knowing.

He brought it to work the next day, unsure of how to sell it. He took it out during break time, and was approached by a man who offered to buy it from a different division. It was the easiest money Lawrence had ever made, and he told his sisters it was just a bonus from working so hard. The temptation of this easy money was too great, and he caved in to start stealing more. He learned tricks along the way- like how to fight and how to avoid security cameras. And the mysterious man would always buy his loot, a hefty bonus added if he hadn't heard of the robbery yet.

Lawrence pulled the "family" along with his "bonuses." Because of them he could buy Amelia's medication. But the medication only dulled Amelia's pain- when Lawrence was eleven doctors predicted Amelia would die in two months most if a real cure wasn't found. Lawrence needed help that the "good guys" just couldn't provide. So, he managed to get a line to the "bad guys." He asked for help from a new forming group called The Light, and was told to do small gigs while The Light researched. They found a plausible solution in a month and gave Lawrence coordinates to places to steal the ingredients needed from. He took three weeks, and was running out of time. He got them to The Light, but was one day late. Amelia died right before they could've given the cure.

Lawrence was too far into a criminal's life to get out. The once seemingly friendly Light was now wearing him out to "pay for his debts." That was when he learned that criminals are very selfish people. He stole like crazy to support his family, which included food, shelter, school, clothes, and depression medication for his mother. A year after Amelia's death Lawrence's mom disappeared, and then showed up dead a few weeks later. Lawrence says it was a suicide, but I don't know how he possible could've known. I don't press, because that was a horrible time in his life.

He managed to avoid the orphanage from scaring the police. As far as they were concerned that house had a guardian over eighteen. Nobody would question that after the first guy they sent over- who became delirious and had scars all over. The "family" somehow hobbled along, even though somebody severed all of the love out. They just were there. I met Lawrence through a gig in the Light in my late high school years. He seemed so empty, I pitied him. But I also despised him. If somebody has the gift of life they should live it. Of course, I didn't know his story.

But that was what made me different than all the rest. Everybody pitied Lawrence. I fought against him. I think- no- I know that the banter was good for him. I brought out the life in him. We were each other's joy in our criminal ridden world. I grew to love him, and he to me. He proposed, and we got married. We had kids, and here we are now. But I feel his love for me has shrunk. Almost as if I'm not exciting anymore- his work has become more interesting than me. Despite how he wants to stay in the criminal world, and worse yet drags our daughters into this, I cannot bring myself to hate him. He's just become… misguided. Oh, how I wish it was within my power to bring him back. I would run and take the girls with me… but I can't. Damnit love.

A tug on my hand brings me back to focus, and I look to my left where Artemis is cuddled at my side. "Mommy?" She whispers.

"Yes Baby?"

"What… what is love like?" She asks, blue eyes wide. I scan over her face. Her long, dark eyelashes. Her cheeks with a little baby fat, pink by the cold. The shading on her beautiful complexion from the shadows. The little peach fuzz of otherwise unnoticeable hair that covered her innocent face. My chest constricted. God, how I loved my baby girl.

I lightly chuckled. "It's very confusing. Be very cautious." We were laying down, just staring at the stars for a few more seconds. I snaked my arm around her, and managed to reach across her to Jade too. I flipped to my side, trying to hug them both as tight as I could to my body to give them extra warmth than just the two blankets on this cold fall night. "But do you wanna know something?" I drowsily said, taking her head nod as a 'yes.' "I love you and Jade. I love you two very much."

Lawrence POV

I found two hotels after a few minutes' walk, and decided to go into the one on my side of the street. I went inside, and managed to slip by the lobby without any notice. That was too easy. I walked down the hallway, dragging my finger against the wall to see if I felt any vibrations indicating a conversation was going on inside the room. I finally found a section with no vibrations, meaning no occupants. The rooms were locked by a normal key, extremely easy to get into with a pick. I walked inside to see if the room was acceptable. One bedroom with two double beds- check. A small refrigerator- check. A TV for mapping where the towns hero was- check. Bathroom- check. I felt like something was off thouh… I look at the window and drop the bags, my mind transported back to the flashback.

_I was twelve years old, laying in my bead. I was confused. I was stressed. And I was hurt- way more than I would ever bring myself to admit. Today was the eleventh day without mom. It was hard. I miss her. Her smile. Her nagging. Her companionship. Every person deserves a mom. I draw my cold sheets even closer to me, feeling my eyes welling up. No no no no no. I'm not going to cry. Suck it up. Deal with it! There's nothing crying will do to help me. I abruptly get up, heading towards my window. I look out, towards the shining stars. I used to love the stars. There all wishes- mom would say. I would count my wishes, too. It made me so happy. A movement by the tree snaps my out of my thoughts. I tense up, and see a shadowed silhouette drawing near. I run toward my bed, there's a dagger underneath that I could use. I grab it, still looking out the window. I see a billowing skirt. Mom? Could it be? I run toward my window again with indescribable joy, dropping my dagger on the floor. She came back! I knew she would! She's walking weirdly, almost shambling, but I don't notice. My first clue that something was wrong didn't come until she took a could more steps forward. I finally saw some fuzzy details. Her skin… it was… a ghastly white color. Her hair was still really long, almost down to her butt, but it was lighter than it's already blonde color. It whipped across her face, obscuring it. My skin suddenly froze- and I got the instinct to run. She was very near to my window, and I finally saw her face. It was gruesome- the sort of thing you could never forget as much as you tried. She had a bloody knife in her hand, and one of her eye sockets was empty, gushing out scarlet-black blood. Her other eye had no iris, just a large black pupil covering almost all of her eye. She had slashes across her face, and her lips were covered in her dried black blood. Her head had bald spots on it, and as she reached her bloody hands up to the window I saw her hair matted in there. She must've torn out some of her hair. She slammed her hands on my window, and I saw deep slashes in the soft parts of her wrist along with around her arms. Thud. The lifeless sound seemed to echo across my room as I stood there openmouthed. "Lawrence" She croaked out in an inhuman voice. She slammed her hands again. And again. I wanted so desperately to run, but my repulsion rooted me to the spot. She hit the window again, her hainds leaving a bloody trail. She licked her lips, and looked down to the knife in her hands. "Lawrence" she throatily tried again, before shoving the knife through my window, shattering it. The sickening sound brought me back to life, and I scrambled back to my dropped dagger on the floor. I was terrified, gripping it uneasily with my sweaty hand. She lumbered towards me, raising her knife. I saw her craziness in her eyes. I was going to die right here, right now. "I'm home." She whispered, with a smile. She lunged at me, but I jumped out of the way. She madly crawled on the floor toward me, hissing. "COME!" She screamed. Instinct made me throw the knife, somehow hitting her in her heart. She madly started jerking around, spraying blood all over me and my room. She stabbed herself straight through her wrist, sticking the knife straight through to the floor. She screamed in agony, with a look of intense pleasure across her face. I was shaking uncontrollably, watching her. She lolled her head over to the side to look at me, and snapped her hand out to grab my ankle with lightning fast speed. She pulled me down, and dragged me next to her. I struggled, but she firmly held me next to her. She grabbed my head, and pushed it against her lips. I felt her breath against my ear, heavy and wet. "You can run... but… you… can't … hide" She gasped out, licking her lips again. She suddenly went limp, but she still had the mad look on her face. She reeked of blood, and I peeled myself away from her. My body was in denial of the past few minutes. She had scared me so bad that I couldn't comprehend. I hollowly bent over her, and drew the knife out of her wrist. It was a weird sensation, almost… slimy. I picked her up, and she her right outside of my window. I calmly stuck the blade into her chest, and set it up to look like she had driven the blade in by herself. I proceeded to take a shower to rinse her blood off of me, and mopped up the blood from my room. I meticulously set every item in my room back to where it was before, and crawled into my desk. The next day when I had woken up police had surrounded my bed. As far as anyone knows, Mom killed herself. All she had managed to do was break my window, but luckily I didn't even wake up._

I broke out shaking, head in my arms- crumpled onto my knees. I shook my head and numbly picked my stuff up off of the floor. We were going to stay at the other hotel.

A/N- Thanks for all the reviews, favorites, follows, reads, etc. Happy almost Thanksgiving, and have a great week.

Navy


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer- I do not own Young Justice  
Ch 6  
Wally POV

What was that? I still can't get the girl with the blonde hair out of my head. The poor girl- she must think that i'm a creep now. Blonde and Green flashes are still dancing through my head. I wonder who will be lucky enough to marry her. I hope he deserves her. I hope that he doesn't hit her.

Enough about her- there's nothing I can do now. Right now I need to worry about my dad. I wonder if he'll be drunk. I snort out loud- of course he will be. I shiver. I really don't want to go through that today. I don't want to ever. I shove my hands in my pockets to look at the rapidly appearing sunset. If only there was somewhere else I could stay the night until he's sober...  
What about Uncle Barry and Aunt Iris? I really don't want to go home... and their so nice to me. Before I can change my mind I turn around and start jogging to their house.

Running has always been my escape. I don't let my mind consider to see if it's a bad idea to intrude on the Allens. I don't let myself think about how the rapidly coming darkness is creeps me out. I even don't think about the girl from earlier. I pretend I'm the Flash, weaving my way around imaginary bullets and villains. I leap over the sidewalk cracks, which are really trip wires. My feet pound on the ground- I love the rhythm and consistency.

I run faster and faster until I reach the Allens house, skidding to a stop in front of their door. I ring the doorbell, panting from the run. I hear a couple laughing at a shared joke, then footsteps coming towards the door. A sliver of light beams through the darkness, and I feel heat radiating out from where Mrs. Allen stood in the door.  
"Wally?" She was shocked. "Why are you here honey?"  
"I... can I stay the night?" I cringe. I should've had a plan.  
"Of course!" She said, ushering me inside.  
"Wally?" Uncle Barry was lounging on the counter, previously inspecting a stack of cans.  
Aunt Iris shushed him. " Is everything okay?" She asked me. I heard obvious concern in her voice. It felt... nice? It was a good feeling that somebody cared for me.  
"Yeah." I slowly responded.  
Aunt Iris carefully scanned me, and looked like she was about to say something before Uncle Barry put a hand on her shoulder.  
"Do you want some food?" He jovially asked, holding up a can of chicken noodle soup.  
Aunt Iris snorted. "Don't take it Wally, it may be poisoned by the time Barry cooks it!" We all laughed. "Barry nearly burned down the kitchen last time he tried to make a snack. I decided for safety reasons I should probably teach Barry how to cook. Heres lesson one- things you only have to microwave."  
"I wasn't that bad!" Barry protested.  
"Uhuh. And pigs are flying outside right as we speak."  
I felt a little breeze of air. "You never know. The blinds are shut." he smirked, pointing at the blinds. I looked over, and sure enough, they were shut! I would have sworn they were open a few moments ago. I shrug it off.  
Aunt Iris snorted before regaining her composure. "Barry..." she warned, looking at me.  
Uncle Barry cut her off. "Regardless of what our blinds are choosing to do, I am going to heat Wally the best damn canned chicken noodle soup he's ever had in his life. You can refer to me as 'Chef Barry' from now on." I cracked up laughing.  
"Tsk tsk Chef Barry!" Iris half-heartedly scolded. "There are children ears here!"  
Barry jokingly waved her off with one hand while pouring the soup in a bowl with the other. "What are you talking about. I only see a big boy who needs a serving of Chef Barrys kick butt soup!"  
"Chef Barry's gonna get his hardest assignment yet- to be quiet! I have to call Mary to let her know Wally's here." She picked up the phone while Barry popped the soup in the microwave. Iris went into the living room to talk to mom.  
"You can sit down!" Barry said, motioning towards the table. I oblige, and avert my eyes to the timer counting down for the soup. "So your first day of school was a couple days ago, right?" Barry asked. I nodded, so he went on. "How was it? Did you meet anybody?"  
"It went well, school is really easy. I met a guy named Dick, well, his real name is Richard Grayson. He's pretty cool, but he likes Batman better than the Flash. At first I didn't like him for that, but then I realized it was better like that. Now we won't constantly fight over who's his number one fan. And besides, we decided that I could be Flash's sidekick and Dick can be Batman's."  
Uncle Barry suddenly looked uncomfortable- I wondered why. "I don't know bud, it takes a lot to be a hero..."  
"I've got what it takes!" I exclaim, puffing out my chest. "I've even started my training! Dick's an acrobat. He's teaching me some cool stuff." I say in an all-knowing tone.  
"Hmmm... You say Dick wants to be Batman's sidekick? The Flash... well he's probably the coolest guy EVER. But Batman? That guys like STD's. Always serious."  
"Barry!" Iris reprimanded while walking in. "Be appropriate!"  
The microwave beeped, and Uncle Barry and Aunt Iris locked eyes in a way that reminded me of a cowboy showdown from cartoons. A split second later they both lunged toward the microwave. Aunt Iris looked like she was going to get to the soup first, but then Barry used his height to his advantage and lightly tried to hold her down as he reached up for the soup. His hand found the soup bowl, but he forcefully shoved it away once he felt how hot it was. The bowl went sailing through the air before crashing by the corner.  
The three of us stared in shock at the mess, then Iris started laughing. Uncle Barry and I joined in, and we couldn't stop.  
"From now on your 'Dishwasher Barry!'" Iris chuckled.  
"I protest! Interference from the feisty beauty to my right!" Barry jokingly tried.  
"How about Chinese?" Iris offered, and Barry and I nodded our heads.

* * *

The rest of the night was amazing. It consisted of Barry jokingly making some racist chinese jokes (Which I'm semi ashamed to say I laughed at) and an interesting game of pictionary. As I lay here in the spacious guest bed I wonder if this is what family is supposed to be like. Iris certainly wasn't inferior to Barry, and nobody was drunk. Barry didn't hit Iris or I, and I get the feeling that would be something he would never do. I saw the way that they looked at each other... they really loved each other.  
The door to my room opened, and Iris poked her head in. "Can I come in?" I nodded, watching her come sit on the corner of my bed. "You know, you can always come back." She said, her eyes flicking to the still visible claw marks on my face. I nodded, moving my hand to cover my cut. She sat there for another minute, then leaned over to hug me. "I'm being serious Wally. Our door is always open." I sank into her motherly hug. Do all moms do this?  
She eventually let go, and started walking out. "Iris?" I called out, and she stopped for a second. "Thank you." I whispered. She turned her head and smiled at me.  
"No problem honey." She sadly said before giving a small wave and walking out the door.

I feel a pang in my chest of bitter resentment. It doesn't seem fair that their home is full of love and sincerity and my home is built off of fear and intoxication. I don't want to go back. Ever. But what about my mom? I would be leaving her to face Rudy alone. And that seems like the picture of cowardice. I start to drift asleep listening to Barry and Iris talking in hushed voices in the living room, and their faces dance across my mind. Their laughing... taking me to the park to play. They look happy, and so do I. Dicks at the playground and we're training. His parents are there too, and all the adults are cheering Dick and I on as we run. I'm vaguely aware that this is the happiest dream I've ever had.

* * *

**A/N- Sorry that one took me so long- my depression is crawling back. And the holiday season has been a busy one :) Thanks for all the reads, reviews, follows, and favorites!  
Navy**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 Pick Up

Disclaimer- I do not own young Justice

Wally POV

I looked at my clock and saw that it was 11:00 AM. Dad's gonna kill me! The fuzzy walls started to take focus- spacious, tan, and… not mine. I swallowed down my momentary fear after realizing that I'm just at Uncle Barry and Aunt Iris's house. They must've let me sleep in.

I walked out of my room and was greeted by one of the best scents in the world-cooking bacon. I turned the corner to find Barry and Iris joking while Barry flipped the bacon over. "Is that…. Uncle Barry I see cooking?" I jokingly say in an incredulous voice.

Aunt Iris dramatically stumbled across the kitchen towards me. "I'm rather afraid he is!" She gasped, as if losing her balance.

Uncle Barry accusingly shook his spatula. "Hey. We both agreed that I am the master at cooking breakfast. I'm just… lacking for the other two meals."

Aunt Iris solemnly nodded. "Of course honey." She turned to me. "Good morning Wally!" She smiled, hugging me again. I wonder if moms normally hug their children.

"Morning Aunt Iris. Morning Uncle Barry!" I say in return.

"Did you sleep well?" Uncle Barry asked, flipping the bacon. Before I got a chance to answer the doorbell rang, and Iris nervously looked at Barry.

"I think it's them" She whispered. Them? Who's "Them?"

Uncle Barry nodded. "I'm going to go answer the door. Could you take over the bacon?' Uncle Barry left the kitchen and I padded after him, hiding behind a wall. I poked my head out to watch as Barry opened the door.

My mom and dad were standing outside. My dad looked angry- and a little hung over. "I want Wally back." He stated.

"Wally is still sleeping." Barry lied.

"He should wake up then." Dad said, pushing my mom into a little more light to illuminate her. I scanned her over- hunched shoulders, long sleeves to cover bruises, extra concealer around her eyes to cover the red puffiness. My dad must've taken out his frustration on mom. I gasped, leading my dad's eyes straight over to me. "I guess little Wally finally woke up then." Dad sneered.

Aunt Iris rushed in the foyer with a plate of steaming bacon. "We couldn't let Wally go without letting him eat!" She exclaimed.

Dad rudely reached over her and chomped down on a piece. "He won't be missing much.'

Barry made a sound of protest that vaguely sounded like "Hey!" but Iris shushed him. "I insist. Wally must eat." She locked glares with Dad, finally making him look away.

"If you MUST then put it into a container. He'll eat it on the go. Now, we really would hate to intrude more upon your… hospitality." He sneered. Iris started to protest, but Dad interrupted. " Goddammit, NOW!" He shook mom, sending a clear message.

Barry was infuriated. "I don't know who you think you are, but that just sent out a sign to me… almost like your threatening Mary. Well, in this house everyone is equal, and that's what the law dictates too. It sickens me to think that your house may not be this way, and I will call upon every force of the law I'm able to if I get proof that you're the sort of bastard that you just made yourself seem." Rudy turned a shade of scarlet, but I knew it wasn't for guilt- it was for being called out. "I think Wally will be staying with us today."

Dad smiled, a dangerous sweetness. "I assure you, Mr. Allen, there is nothing to fret your little head over here. We're just a concerned couple wanting our child back." Barry still looked stubborn, so dad's eyes widened. "Unless, of course, you want me to call in for kidnapping."

Dad and Barry had an intense stare down, but Iris just looked at me nervously. Some thought was tearing up her mind. "Now, you boys stop." She lectured, her voice wavering. "Barry, stand down." She whispered sadly. "We…. We'll give back Wally now. He was a pleasure to have over, and we would like to do it again." Barry stared at her in disbelief. "Iris..." he murmured, but she shushed hum.

"Well, come on boy!" Dad said to me. "You heard the woman!"

I nodded, and walked over to Uncle Barry. I gave him a hug, and he picked me up and spun me around. He solemnly looked me in the eyes, before whispering, "Sport, just give me a call if anything's wrong. I'll be here for you- stay strong."

He set me down, and Aunt Iris embraced me in a bear hug. "Our door is always open. You were fabulous, Wally."

"That's quite enough." Dad held open the door. "We're leaving." He grabbed my arm and marched me out to the car. I sat inside the cold vehicle, looking towards Barry and Iris. They both looked sad to see me go, so I put on a huge smile and waved at them. I waved for a really long time, watching their house disappear around the corner. The car was quiet, but the mood was tense. I saw Dads white knuckles as he angrily gripped the steering wheel.

Stay strong, Barry said. But I'd need to be the Flash to deal with what was coming.

* * *

**A/N- Short chapter here, but better than no chapter :) Thanks for sticking with me!**

**Navy**


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